For most of human history, our experience of motion was limited to the surface of our planet, where forces of gravity, friction, and air resistance have been present. Our relatively recent experience with space travel provide an excellent laboratory for studying the laws of motion that apply everywhere in the universe. This section explains the experience of astronauts during liftoff, orbit, and landing, and gives the tools for accurately describing and explaining motion.
Prior Learning (from S8 Anchors):
S8.C.3.1 Describe the effect of multiple forces on the movement, speed, or direction of an object.
S8.C.3.1.1 Describe forces acting on objects (e.g., friction, gravity, balanced versus unbalanced).
S8.C.3.1.2 Distinguish between kinetic and potential energy.
S8.C.3.1.3 Explain that mechanical advantage helps to do work (physics) by either changing a force or changing the direction of the applied force (e.g., simple machines, hydraulic systems).
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to...
Use graphical and algebraic tools to quantitatively describe the motion of an object.
Explain common phenomena (e.g., a rock in a landslide, an astronaut during a space walk, a car hitting a patch of ice on the road) using an understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion.
Explain common phenomena (e.g., a rock in a landslide, an astronaut during a space walk, a car hitting a patch of ice on the road) using an understanding of conservation of momentum.
Explain the role of forces in circular motion, and apply this concept to orbital motion.
Describe the chemical reactions involved in rocket propulsion.
Working Draft of Essential Learning Activities/Strategies/Technologies
Enduring Understandings
For most of human history, our experience of motion was limited to the surface of our planet, where forces of gravity, friction, and air resistance have been present. Our relatively recent experience with space travel provide an excellent laboratory for studying the laws of motion that apply everywhere in the universe. This section explains the experience of astronauts during liftoff, orbit, and landing, and gives the tools for accurately describing and explaining motion.Prior Learning (from S8 Anchors):
S8.C.3.1 Describe the effect of multiple forces on the movement, speed, or direction of an object.Learning Objectives: Students will be able to...
Working Draft of Essential Learning Activities/Strategies/Technologies
Supplemental Resources
Instructional Objectives: Students will be able to ...
Velocity and Acceleration:- distinguish between constant velocity and constant acceleration.
- graph velocity vs. time, and determine displacement and acceleration from that graph.
- apply the constant velocity equation to large distances.
Action & Reaction/Conservation of Momentum- apply Newton's Laws of Motion to objects in a microgravity environment.
- apply Newton's Laws of Motion to objects experiencing gravitational and/or resistive forces.
- apply Newton's Third Law of Motion to a variety of accelerating objects.
- discuss the momentum of action/reaction pairs.
Liquid Rocket Fuels (H2O)- describe the storage challenges of liquid rocket fuel.
- describe the chemical reactions involved in liquid rockets.
Solid Rocket Fuels (oxidizers)References to PDE Academic Standards, Anchors, and Eligible Content